Athens Ear Buds (10-1-09)

We have quite an eclectic assortment of music recommendations in this week's edition of Athens Ear Buds. As always, you can buy or order most of this music at Haffa's on West Union Street.

AEB is purring along like Travis McGee's customized electric-blue vintage '30s Rolls Royce pickup truck, Agnes, and my previous concerns about this organic music feature have been substantially allayed. Of course, that could change completely next week, but for now, Athens Ear Buds is doing swell.

As per usual, if you submitted an Ear Bud and don't see it here, it's because I had to deposit one or two in my chubby chipmunk cheeks to save for later in the winter (er, I mean next week).

Check out the online version of AEB with some cracking good video (located in the "Entertainment" pull-down menu of www.athensnews.com). - Terry Smith (who's currently reading all of John D. MacDonald's Travis McGee novels)

Barry "Growlin" Wolfe, Athens ex-pat, ex-Farmacy founder, ex-DJ/producer KALX, Berkeley, Cal., occasional music reviewer for Blurt's on-line mag, Ptolemaic Terrascope: The Spider Bags, "Goodbye Cruel World, Hello Crueler World" (Birdman, 2009, all formats). Chapel Hill, N.C.'s Spider Bags are the musical cousins of the Dexateens and the Drive-By Truckers. Bands that have taken Southern rock and tuned it on its ear. The SBs grind in some punk and blues to that genre and formulate a seriously, deliriously intoxicating concoction. Dan McGee and his six-piece band of drunken reprobates are back with their sophomore release and offer up a more mature, better produced and somewhat subdued follow-up to their acclaimed "Celebration of Hunger" album from 2007.

Dave Alexander, Athens' resident trainspotter and Dave Rave promoter: Major Lazer, "Guns Don't Kill People... Lazers Do" (Downtown Records, June 2009). Major Lazer is a collaboration of DJ/producers Diplo (Wes Pentz) and Switch (Dave Taylor) who were behind M.I.A.'s mega hit "Paper Planes." Mostly known for their jacking house music productions and remixes, their exploration into reggae dancehall was one of my favorite albums of the summer. The album was recorded in Jamaica to give it an authentic feel and features guest vocals from Santigold and Nina Sky among others. Standout tracks include "Hold the Line" "Keep it Going Louder" and "Pon Di Floor."

Greg Bikowski, bassist for the Bob Stewart Band and the Bikowski Jazz Trio, paramedic for SEOEMS: Cuba has produced some of the world's finest musicians, including a variety of lesser-known players. Polo Montanez was one of these musicians. His biggest success was his first CD release, "Guajiro Natural" (Lusafrica, 2000). Playing on top of the typical Latin clave rhythm, Montanez sets free his creative melodies with his clear vocals and textured guitar playing. Nothing flashy, nothing glamorous. This album is just pure, raw playing and singing. Montanez was a resort musician until he was discovered in 1999 by a record producer. Unfortunately, Montanez was killed in a car accident in 2002 shortly after recording his second album. Check out his music. It's worth the listen.

John McVicker teaches English as a Second Language at Ohio U; he likes music a whole lot: Various Artists, "Precious Lord: Recordings of the Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A Dorsey" (CBS, 1994). This collection of the songs of the Rev. Thomas Dorsey was originally released in 1973. The Rev. Dorsey is the father of gospel music, and his gospel songs, such as "Peace in the Valley," "The Lord Will Make A Way" and "Take My Hand, Precious Lord," are familiar even to heathens like me. They've been recorded by just about everyone who's ever done gospel. It is interesting to note, however, that before turning to gospel, Dorsey (Georgia Tom) was a star of hokum blues, a genre rich in sexual humor - listen to Georgia Tom & Tampa Red's "It's Tight Like That" for an example. "Precious Lord," however, is G-rated; it features wonderful renditions of 19 gems of the Dorsey hymnbook. Performers include RH Harris, Sam Cooke's predecessor in the Soul Stirrers and his principal influence; the Dixie Hummingbirds, whose harmonies graced Paul Simon's "Loves Me Like a Rock"; Little Richard's idol Alex Bradford, and above all the fabulous Marion Williams, a singer whose voice combines operatic range with the soulful growl of an R&B diva. The album is one of 275 treasures honored with a place in the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry.

Dan Dreifort is working on a new Indelible Beancurd CD slated for release shortly before Christ walks the earth (again): Various Artists, "Livin' Lounge" (Continuum, 1995). A few lounge standards ("Caravan," "Summertime") get the new blood treatment but it's the originals, sometimes loosely and occasionally properly labeled as contemporary lounge, that make this compilation perfect poolside party music. "Confabulations" by Everlounge is a personal favorite. The only recognizable name in the lineup is Buster Poindexter, aka David Johansen by way of the New York Dolls. His contribution, "Knock'm Down Whiskey," is a playful, showy ringside take on a heroic bout between man and a personated bottle of booze.

Leo DeLuca: Moon Jaw Records Founder, Southeast Engine drummer, Donkey Booking Manager: Magnolia Electric Co., "Josephine" (Secretly Canadian, 2009). Native Ohioan Jason Molina has been making mournful folk music since the mid-1990s and found early advocates in Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy)/Palace Records and the then-fledgling Secretly Canadian label. He began his career under the moniker Songs: Ohia, but it wasn't until he formed the more rocking Magnolia Electric Co. that Molina truly started to master his craft. "Josephine" is the band's most recent long player, and it approaches the universal loneliness more than any work I've heard in ages. The album was recorded by Steve Albini (Nirvana's "In Utero," Pixies' "Surfer Rosa," etc.) and pays tribute to the group's late bass player, Evan Farrell. MEC has a way of making extremely sad songs feel absolutely empowering. It's a beautiful thing.

Pencil, old punk, celebrity judge, shipping/receiving guy and demo-goblin (aka Josh Ryan): I MUST tell readers about the fantastic reissue of Boston's Mission of Burma's "Signals Calls and Marches." Released in 1981, this EP (along with the first single) sealed this post-punk group's position as one of North America's most influential independent bands. The package for this vinyl reissue is stacked! Not only is it an analog remaster directly from the original 1/2" tape, but it comes on two LPs for maximum volume and fidelity, and features a gate-fold jacket with a huge book of photos and a recent interview and a DVD of live performances. There are extra bonus tracks, too! In addition to the original six-song EP, Matador records generously include the first single ("Academy Fight Song" B/W "Max Ernst") and two unreleased tracks from '80. This has scarcely left my turntable or tape deck for that matter, and when it comes to punk bands who actually offered fresh creativity backed with punk's original desperation, volume and rebellion, The Mission of Burma delivered the goods. Do yourself a favor and pick up this heavy slab of wax from our local jams dispensary.

Andy Vogel is an OU student and a freelance writer from the Columbus area: Jesty Beatz is a rapper who all the young folks should know. A couple days ago I ran into this infamous dude. After he passed me his sampler, "Straight Outta Nordonia," I knew I had to give it a spin. "Straight Outta Nordonia" has the Midwest flow so many other rappers try to capture. Think Kansas Cities' Tech N9ne meets Bone Thugs. As a matter of fact, the closing track features Bizzy Bone. Beatz is able to spit harmony and rhythm adequacy for most of the disc. The most rewarding track is "Ohio," offering the best homage since Columbus boy Dante's Inferno's "Party like a Buckeye." If you haven't found his disc at local rager, then you should definitely cop one out on his Myspace. Look for the "Deal or No Deal 2" album, which features some blazing tracks such as "Bindsay Bohan" and "On Everything I Love (featuring Bizzy Bone)."

Dale Francis: Audiophile/Long Run Audio, Athens Ohio: With Mountain Stage returning to Mem Aud, I reminisce on a previous show that introduced me to Chip Taylor and Carrie Rodriguez. I have taken to "Red Dog Tracks" (Back Porch Records, 2005) with a passion. The recording is an excellent sonic capture of these fine musicians and their taste of Americana roots. Mr. Taylor's songwriting skills give the listener a treat. The musicianship is astounding, Bill Frisell playing understated licks that interweave with Ms. Rodriguez's violin, the banjo of Richie Stearns and the harmonica of Mr. Taylor. The vocal work of the duo is breathtaking. If you have a good stereo, you will hear the excellence that the synergy of great musicianship and excellent engineering brings to the whole recording package!